


Season 5: a retrospective on Steroline

by badboy_fangirl



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 21:38:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10750314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badboy_fangirl/pseuds/badboy_fangirl
Summary: Just after the airing of 6x08 Fade Into You, I rewatched S5 to observe all the wonderfulness.





	Season 5: a retrospective on Steroline

So, I started hope-shipping them in S2, but I remember this scene in S4 as the one where I just didn't want them with anyone but each other:

[ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/americanoutlaw/media/TVD/StefCarehot.gif.html)

Plus, they are both REALLY, REALLY PRETTY in that shot.

This is when Caroline's loyalty to Stefan overrides her relationship to Tyler. This is when you understand that Caroline might not be sired to Stefan in the traditional sense, but she is in every other way. Her _friendship_ with Stefan means more to her than her romantic relationship with Tyler, though she will continue to fight for that relationship with Tyler for a good long while...all the way into S5. But then, she and Tyler finally break for good.

I decided to do a S5 fastforward rewatch today to rev my Stefan/Caroline shipping feels up to the HIGHEST POSSIBLE DEGREE. And also, you know, look for parallels and stuff.

In 5x04 Amnesiac!Stefan sees Caroline for the first time:  
**Stefan:** Caroline Forbes. My best friend.  
**Caroline:** Wait, you recognize me?  
**Stefan:** Well, I've studied pictures. You're much hotter in person. Sorry, I'm a little drunk.

So, an uninhibited Stefan will tell the truth. So maybe Caroline should get him drunk. Also, Drunk!Stefan is cute. Plus, Stefan can't remember ANYTHING about his life, but he knows he trusted Caroline and he chooses to keep that; he walks away from Damon and Elena in those moments, but not Caroline, which is an even cooler event when you parallel it with what he did when Damon died. Which he explained in 6x08, which I'll get to....eventually.

[Also, 5x04 is actually a REALLY GREAT EPISODE. I'd forgotten about how amazing Bonnie's memorial was.]

In 5x05, Stefan dances with Caroline, which is again something that they do, often. Even though S1 Stefan didn't like to dance.

[Also the cold opening of 5x07 with Silas is still my all-time favorite opening scene of this show. Really, S5 did have its moments! Though, not enough, because I'm not even that tempted to watch whole episodes beyond 5x04.]

It's very telling though, with Caroline, that she was very much still in the friendzone with Stefan during 5x09, when she and Katherine help him with his PTSD. Because she's clueless and horrified about Katherine, but not jealous, at all.

But it's also such a nice parallel between them -- he got Katherine (and eventually Elena) out of his system, and Caroline got Klaus out of hers; which on that note, another episode from S5 worth watching is 5x11. 100th eppy and all that. Plus Katherine Pierce. And Caroline and Klaus, really. And that one little scene with Matt and Rebekah. Really, why can't she come back for Matt? She should. I ship that. Sorry, I'm getting a little off topic here.

And so from there on, it becomes Stefan and Caroline, conspiring to reunite Damon and Elena (or at least not prevent them from reuniting). And it becomes Stefan standing up for Caroline, no matter what, as she has always done for him. And his delivery of the line, "I have no idea what Klaus saw in you!" is just classic.

Also, in that same episode (5x12), Katherine tells Nadia that she wants Stefan, and Nadia says, "I pity whoever stands in your way" or something like that, and the next shot is of CAROLINE sitting in front of the fire in the Salvatore Great Room. FORESHADOWING MUCH?

The thing I always wanted for Stefan as a character was for him to care about how his actions impacted Damon specifically. In a lot of ways, Stefan's overcompensation of compassion FOR ALL OF HUMANITY made him completely oblivious to his own brother's needs. And in 1x06, he tells Elena that he wanted Katherine and he didn't care if it hurt Damon (a rather typical, short-sighted motive for a 17 year old boy) but there was some perpetuation of that throughout the series. And one of the good things S5 gives to Stefan's arc is getting to that place, where he isn't just "okay" with Damon being happy (like in 4x22), but he prefers that; he wants Damon to be happy even if it comes at his expense, and it allows him to let go of Elena-Katherine. Plus, Caroline is always there, and that is something that Stefan keeps gravitating towards her, even when those old feelings get stirred up as shown in 5x13 and 5x14 in particular.

And then of course he has ultimate closure: He gets to kill Katherine.

So, then Stefan trades himself to the Travelers for the antidotes, it gets REALLY GOOD. At least between Stefan and Caroline, and all those little threads and tentacles that are causing their bond to grow deeper and tighter. The phone call in 5x17 always kills me -- because Caroline's desperation begins to take on a new feel; this isn't just about her best friend. Not to say that wouldn't be enough, but it begins to be obvious that her feelings are bigger than that, at least to me. And then, of course, her inability to kill Tom, the guy wearing Stefan's face? Just, beautiful.

And then they cuddle. Just like BFFs everywhere. /sarcasm

[My all-time favorite Stefan/Elena moment is in 5x18 when they are dissecting the "fantasy life" they had been experiencing thanks to Marcos, and Stefan points out that Elena being able to cook is one of the reasons they should have known it wasn't real. I mean, seriously, funniest, sweetest thing, ever. It's my fave.]

Plus it leads to the truest thing Stefan Salvatore ever utters, pure prophecy for S6: _I think you can either be friends with someone, or in love with them. I don't think you can be both._

And then of course that leads to 5x20 where Stefan and Elena are friend zone lane owners and Caroline's suspiciously jealous, but is trying to _not_ be. And it's just all so subtle and delicious. And then Stefan's worried that Caroline would think less of him for killing Enzo. Can we all get an _awwwwww_?

[This has taken far too long because there are good Damon/Elena scenes especially in the last five episodes and I have to watch them too. This has been a colossal waste of fangirl time, and I have enjoyed every second of it!]

So this whole season for Steroline anyway, leads to this episode 5x21...where Stefan actually, really dies. And I remember WEEPING for Stefan, and being sort of surprised that I was weeping, because, you know, _Stefan_. I have, at this point, grown used to the love I have for Stefan, but back then, it was ALL NEW.

But, you know, he was also taking his rightful place at the helm of the USS Delena during this episode, so I should have been more aware.

But the point is, his death was so POWERFUL because of Caroline being the one there when he died. Because obviously, Damon or Elena being there would have been so sad, too; but Caroline was on the brink of understanding her own feelings, and that bitter helplessness that death brings is so profound through her eyes, through her heart.

And then 5x22...!

Caroline kills Luke! JUST. LIKE. THAT! FOR STEFAN. For Bonnie, too, but you know, mostly FOR STEFAN.

Plus, LEXI TOLD STEFAN TO DATE CAROLINE! I HOPE THAT COMES BACK UP AT SOME POINT! 

And then she holds him while he cries. So happy he's back, but she can't even celebrate because he's too sad about Damon.

So, that brings us to this current glorious season of gloriousness!

And this week's episode....just slayed me with so many feelings. It's so serious for me, because I look forward to their scenes just as much as I look forward to Damon and Elena's scenes. And now that the cat's out of the bag, I can look forward to Stefan's scenes with EVERYONE who will be harassing him to do the right thing: which is DATE CAROLINE!

And this scene:

[ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/americanoutlaw/media/TVD/Stefan%20is%20a%20real%20boy_zps9dwdloca.gif.html)

IS SO HILARIOUS! There is like an actual crisis going on, but Stefan is a REAL BOY who only cares about the GIRL HE LIKES.

And Caroline is so Caroline, because, let's remember that vampires don't need to EAT -- not turkey dinner anyway, to survive!

[ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/americanoutlaw/media/TVD/Steroline%20friendsgiving_zpscdjt0jox.gif.html)

And lastly, let us enjoy all the awkward avoiding of face-schmooshing as long as it lasts, because it won't last long....

[ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/user/americanoutlaw/media/TVD/SC%20kiss%20already_zpszz8xrdi3.gif.html)

I could just never have guessed at how good this is, how much I'm enjoying it, and how excited I am to see it play out. I have NO IDEA what's gonna happen, and I love it!

[I do have other thoughts about the episode, and I'll get to them tomorrow most likely. Sorry I've been off the grid, busy busy busy, and then at the most inconvenient time I decided to do this stupid thing of rewatching S5.]


End file.
